A thin match or a thin strip of potato fried until crispy, or a narrow decorative braid or trim.
From French 'allumette,' diminutive of 'allume' (to light), from Latin 'accendere' (to kindle). The word originally meant a small stick for lighting fires, then expanded to describe similar thin objects.
Allumette potatoes are a French culinary term—they're cut so thin and fried so perfectly they resemble matchsticks, showing how culinary vocabulary imports cultural refinement and precision into English.
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